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A Brief History of Meteorology and Oceanography at MIT

A Brief History of Meteorology and Oceanography at MIT. Kerry Emanuel. Synopsis. Founding of Meteorology at MIT WWII and the Beginnings of the Department of Meteorology Oceanography at MIT Merger with EPS The Future. Carl-Gustav Rossby (1898-1957). Vilhelm Bjerknes. Rossby waves.

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A Brief History of Meteorology and Oceanography at MIT

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  1. A Brief History of Meteorology and Oceanography at MIT Kerry Emanuel

  2. Synopsis • Founding of Meteorology at MIT • WWII and the Beginnings of the Department of Meteorology • Oceanography at MIT • Merger with EPS • The Future

  3. Carl-Gustav Rossby (1898-1957) VilhelmBjerknes Rossby waves Rossby in 1933

  4. Early Milestones • Late 1920’s: Guggenheim grant awarded to MIT for the establishment of a “Course in Meteorology” • September 1928: Rossby appointed to take charge of course, within the Department of Aeronautics, after being rejected by U.S. Weather Bureau. Began graduate program in meteorology • Rossby was determined to bridge what he called the “wide gulf between the mathematical theory, on the one hand, and weather map analysis and forecasting, on the other”.

  5. Introduced Norwegian ideas of Fronts and Cyclones to the U.S. • Was persona non grata with the U.S. Weather Bureau before coming to MIT, but later joined the Bureau • Stressed importance of upper air measurements, analysis, and theory • Left MIT in 1939 to manage research and education at the U.S. Weather Bureau • Later founded the Department of Meteorology at the University of Chicago

  6. Rossby with Radiosonde, 1934

  7. Professor Daniel Sayre ran an aircraft-based observation program under Rossby’s direction. Rossby himself, and Hurd Willett made weather observation flights each morning from East Boston Airport Cover of Time, Monday, December 17th, 1956

  8. HurdCurtiss Willett (1903-1992) • Brought to MIT by Rossby in 1929 • Remained at MIT, retiring from teaching in 1968 but continuing research through 1988 • Specialized in long-range forecasting Willett in 1933

  9. “Doc Willett” with students

  10. The WWII Era and the Department of Meteorology • Department of Meteorology founded within the School of Engineering in 1941, as Course 14 • Norwegian Meteorologist SverrePetterssen , who had run the Meteorology group since Rossby’s departure in 1939, was appointed first Head of Department

  11. SverrePetterssen (1898-1974) Petterssen leading a map discussion at MIT, c. 1940. He resigned from MIT in August, 1942, to assist n the war effort. He was a lead forecaster for the critical forecast for D-Day, June 6th, 1944 . He wrote an autobiography...

  12. The Houghton Era, 1942-1969 Henry Garrett Houghton (1905-1987)

  13. Henry Houghton • Worked at MIT’s Round Hill Research Station from 1928-1938 on the fundamental physics of fog and clouds, including methods for dispersing fog • Served as research associate in aeronautical engineering from 1938-1939 when he became an assistant professor of meteorology • Department Head from 1942-1969

  14. Led the new department’s contribution to the war effort by instituting a training program for weather officers. Enrollment in the department increased from ~30 in 1942 to ~500 in 1944 • Oversaw the creation of weather radar • Created the world’s foremost academic research and education program in meteorology, especially by recruiting JuleCharney, Norman Phillips, Victor Starr, and Edward Lorenz in the 1950s • Helped bring oceanography to MIT and integrate it with meteorology • Among the founders of the University Corporation for Atmospheric Research (UCAR) in 1959 and was the first chairman of its board

  15. Hard at work (with a slide rule) Henry (left) with fog dispersing apparatus at Round Hill

  16. Henry Houghton, DelbarKeily, and James Austin at WBZ Radio, 1948

  17. Early Radar Depiction of a Hurricane (Edna of 1954)

  18. Key Faculty Appointments under Houghton • Victor Starr (1947) • Edward Lorenz (1955) • Frederick Sanders (1955) • JuleCharney (1956) • Norman Phillips (1956) • Willem Malkus (1959) • George Veronis (1961) • Reginald Newell (1961) • Henry Stommel (1963) • Erik Mollo-Christensen (~1963) • Carl Wunsch (1967) (appointed to EPS) • Peter Rhines (1968)

  19. Strong Affiliation with Applied Math at MIT: Key Appointments • Louis Howard (1955) • David Benney (1957) • Harvey Greenspan (1960) • Joseph Pedlosky (1964) • Willem Malkus (1970)

  20. Victor Paul Starr (1909-1974)

  21. Edward Norton Lorenz (1917-2008)

  22. Poincare Diagram of Strange Attractor Avid Hiker

  23. Frederick Sanders (1923-2006)

  24. Fred Sanders (far left) defending his thesis before Henry Houghton (at board), Alan Bemis (seated at left), Tom Malone, Mort Wurtele, Victor Starr, and Jim Austin

  25. Jule Gregory Charney, (1917-1981)

  26. Norman Alton Phillips (1923 - )

  27. Loessen, Keegan, Thompson, Lettau ,London Dulezel, Cooley, White ,Wahl, Long, Mintz Widger, Fultz, Lowell, Martin, Hess, Benton, Wexler, Charney Salmela, Willett, Kuo, Solot, Shapiro, Bjerknes, Lorenz, Starr

  28. Reginald Newell (1931-2002)

  29. Henry MelsonStommel (1920-1992)

  30. Erik Leonard Mollo-Christensen (1923-2009)

  31. Carl Isaac Wunsch (1941- )

  32. Key Organizational Developments: • Course Number changed to 19 in 1946 • Moved from School of Engineering to School of Science in 1957 • Moved from Bldg 24 to Cecil and Ida Green Building, 1964 • Joint Program with WHOI formed in 1968 • Changed name to Department of Meteorology and Physical Oceanography in 1981 • Merged with Department of Earth and Planetary Sciences to become EAPS in 1983 • Center for Meteorology and Physical Oceanography founded in 1983 to serve as focus for these endeavors within EAPS • Changed name to Program in Atmospheres, Oceans, and Climate in 1997

  33. The Cecil and Ida Green Building Under Construction, 1963 Completed, 1964

  34. Henry Houghton passed away in 1987, leaving his considerable estate to MIT to “support of research by students in the fields of meteorology and physical oceanography or for any other purpose that enhances and enriches the total educational experience of such students”.

  35. Department Chairs, 1970-1983 • Norman Phillips, 1970‑1974 • JuleCharney, 1974‑1977 • Edward Lorenz, 1977‑1981 • Peter Stone, 1981‑1983 Note: Carl Wunsch chaired EPS, 1977-1981

  36. A Random Selection of Graduates • Horace Byers • Edward Lorenz • Richard Reed • Robert White • David Atlas • Kirk Bryan • Philip Thompson • Barry Saltzmann • Frederick Sanders • Melvyn Stern • Joseph Pedlosky • William Holland • Conway Leovy

  37. Abraham Oort • James Holton • Lance Bosart • Robert Dickinson • John (Mike) Wallace • IsidoroOrlanski • Robert Houze • Ants Leetmaa • Anthony Hollingsworth • Eugenia Kalnay • Peter Webster • Mark Cane • Inez Fung • William Young

  38. PAOC graduates are disproportionately represented among atmospheric science faculty in the U.S.

  39. Future of PAOC • Objective is to become the world’s leading center for research and education in climate science • Maintain strengths in atmosphere and ocean dynamics and geochemistry while building a diverse expertise in climate science • Become the top graduate program in climate science, worldwide • Play a fundamental role in making MIT undergraduates environmentally literate

  40. Peter Stone and Paola Rizzoli in Venice

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